Venture Capital and Angel Investor Groups

Diverse angel investors and venture capital firms in North Carolina provide seed and growth funding for biotechnology companies.

Angel Investor Organizations

• Charlotte Angel Fund (CAF)
  CAF is a private equity fund of angel investors located in Charlotte, North Carolina. Membership is comprised of an elite group of serious investors with diverse business and industry expertise. CAF is interested in high-growth, high-technology companies with the potential of providing high returns on their invested capital. CAF provides funding and post-investment support to companies that fit this caliber.
• Inception Micro Angel Fund (IMAF)
  IMAF is a member-managed, seed-stage angel capital fund model designed to capitalize on the growth in entrepreneurial activity and venture financing.  The IMAF family of funds is composed of  angel investment organizations in the six major regions of North Carolina - IMAF West, IMAF Triad, IMAF Cape Fear, IMAF RTP, IMAF East and IMAF Charlotte.
• Piedmont Angel Network (PAN)  
  PAN is a member-managed angel investment group that focuses on investment opportunities in early-stage companies with high potential for rapid growth.  PAN prefers life science, software, and technology investments in the North Carolina Piedmont Triad region, but companies from the neighboring states of South Carolina and Virginia that meet the group’s investment requirements are also welcome.
• RTP Capital Associates
  RTP Capital Associates is a consortium of individual accredited angel investors who are passionate about entrepreneurship and who have a sincere desire to help the entrepreneurs in whom they individually invest.  Its members typically provide insight, guidance, mentoring, connections, and other strategic resources, including Board of Director representation, in an attempt to mitigate investment risk and enhance value for the regionally based seed stage companies in which they invest.
• Triangle Angel Partners (TAP)
  Triangle Angel Partners is an experienced band of angel investors, in the high tech and life sciences industries, interested in investing their time, analysis and money into early life cycle companies.
• Wed3
  Wed3, based in Charlotte, N.C., is a regionally focused group of individual investors and representatives of investment corporations in the Carolinas. The organization acts as a “matchmaker” for young companies and interested investors. 
• Wilmington Investor Network, LLC (WIN)
  WIN is a private equity fund of angel investors located in Wilmington, North Carolina. WIN provides capital to early-stage, high-growth companies throughout eastern North and South Carolina that have the potential to provide a high rate of return on investment.  WIN is a founding member of the Angel Capital Association and works with other angel investment groups in the area to leverage expertise, experience, and financial power to help emerging companies and to benefit its members.

Venture Capital Firms 

• The Aurora Funds, Inc.
  The Aurora Funds, based in Durham, N.C., is a family of venture capital funds committed to providing resources to help early stage healthcare and information technology companies reach their full potential. Since its founding in 1994, Aurora has invested in over 60 portfolio companies, resulting in five IPOs and eight M&A transactions.
• Cato BioVentures
  Cato BioVentures is the venture capital affiliate of Cato Research, Ltd., a global contract research and development organization (CRO). For over 20 years, Cato BioVentures and Cato Research have partnered with entrepreneurs, academic institutions and a broad base of biotech and pharmaceutical companies to advance a robust portfolio of successful product development programs. Cato BioVentures focuses on early to mid-stage investment opportunities in private companies and undervalued public companies. They have an east coast office in Research Triangle Park, N.C.
• Golden Pine Ventures
  Golden Pine Ventures, LLC is a venture capital company that seeks biotechnology and biomedical opportunities developed by leading researchers.  Golden Pine Ventures was established in 2004 in Research Triangle Park, N.C. 
• Hatteras Venture Partners
  Hatteras Venture Partners is a venture capital firm based in Research Triangle Park, N.C., with a focus on biopharmaceuticals, medical devices, diagnostics and related opportunities in human medicine. With three funds, the firm has more than $120 million under management. The firm was founded in 2000.
• Intersouth Partners
  Based in Durham, N.C., Intersouth Partners seeks a broad range of investment opportunities in the technology and life science sectors. Intersouth Partners has invested in more than 100 early-stage life science and technology companies since its founding in 1985. Intersouth manages $780 million in seven venture capital limited partnerships, making it the largest venture capital fund in North Carolina and one of the largest in the Southeast.
• IDEA Fund Partners
  Idea Fund Partners is a seed and early stage venture capital firm with offices in Durham, North Carolina and Orlando, Florida.  IDEA Fund Partners invests mainly in the Southeast and focus on companies developing software, medical devices or other technologies where intellectual property is an important asset and source of differentiation from competitors.
• Pappas Ventures
  Pappas Ventures is a Durham-based venture capital firm that invests exclusively in the life sciences industry – biotechnology, biopharmaceuticals, drug delivery, medical devices and related ventures. Pappas invests the largest share of its capital in companies whose lead products are at the Phase 1 or Phase 2 stage of development. Founded in 1994, Pappas Ventures has more than $350 million in capital under management. Pappas has guided the launch and/or development of some 50 life sciences companies, and to date, a quarter of them have completed initial public offerings or successfully merged with corporate partners.
• River Cities Capital Funds 
  River Cities Capital Funds seeks to invest in high growth information technology and healthcare companies that have a material customer base and are approaching profitability. Founded in 1994 in Cincinnati, Ohio, River Cities Capital Funds has $390 million under management and hasan office in Raleigh, N.C.
• Southern Capitol Ventures
  Raleigh-based Southern Capitol Ventures provides capital and strategic guidance to leading technology companies in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions of the U.S. Specific areas of expertise include software, e-commerce, digital media, mobile and healthcare IT. Southern Capitol typically invests $500k initially and $1.5 million over the life of a company.